Well, that was an adventure! Kamakazi camping in downtown Montreal is somewhat challenging! We parked on the street, next to the little park by Emma’s apartment, thinking that the spots in front of the school would be quietest. Quiet is only relative of course. This is a vibrant local neighbourhood, the park is under construction, as is the school, and the street is a favourite with joggers, dog walkers, church goers, vagrants, taxis, and of course construction workers. The heavy machinery started up about 6:30 every morning, except Sunday when the Korean church got under way. The steady stream of parents bringing their kids to school began to give us weird looks about the third morning, especially when we returned with grocery bags and began making breakfast in the camper. It didn’t help that we were parked at the curb, listing at a 20 degree angle, and the combination of constant rain and our heavy breathing caused the windows to steam up. To their credit though, the people of Montreal deserve a big thumbs up for their relaxed attitude to other people’s peculiarities. Not one person gave us a dirty look, no one reported us to the police, we got lots of smiles and ‘Bonjour’s, and the nights on the street were surprisingly peaceful.
I have to report that Emma is thriving. She is developing a great comedy routine, which we saw at a club in town, and is absolutely loving it! I suspect she may still need a day job for a while, at least until SNL calls, but for now she’s having a ball. Nice apartment, good boyfriend, lots of design jobs. All good news!
So we have moved on and are having a well earned retreat in beautiful Algonquin Park before Thanksgiving with my cousins in Huntsville. The weather has changed, after five days of ghastly rain, to crisp clear fall days. The trees are at their peak of colour, the days are warm and sunny and the nights are clear but cold. We’ve solved the problem of pajamas by plugging in and using our ceramic heater! Much as I like Montreal, and love seeing Emma, this is much more our style – camped in the wilderness, looking out at the lake in the moonlight. Blissful! I hope there will be still more days like this ahead.
The days get shorter ... I'm imagining you up every day by dawn, and to bed early, just to grab as much sunlight as you can find. But also, I suppose, you're gaining an intimate familiarity with the night time constellations.
ReplyDeleteI hope you're able to make it home before the snow.